Judges 16: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: Samson's Demise

The Rev. Dr. Burnell Eckardt, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Kewanee, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Judges 16.

Samson’s physical strength is no match for his libido. In this chapter, he engages with a prostitute which gives the opportunity for the Gazites to attack and for Samson to demonstrate his supernatural strength. He then falls in love with a woman named Delilah, another Philistine, who is convinced by the Philistine rulers to use her relationship with Samson to discovers the secret to his power. It’s a true story of seduction and tragic betrayal that ends with Samson’s death.

The Book of Judges tells the story of Israel's descent into chaos and idolatry, and the subsequent rise of a series of judges, or redeemers, who deliver them from their enemies. The judges are flawed heroes, but they are also instruments of God's deliverance. The book ends with the Israelites in a state of moral and spiritual decay, but it also offers hope for a better future.